Credit: Friends of Tina Davis
A measure state Rep Tina Davis co-sponsored that seeks to regulate the use automated licenses plate readers such as flock cameras by Pennsylvania governmental entities passed in the House this week.
According to a press release from Democratic state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, (Delaware County) the bill passed on a partisan vote with the measure seeking to protect drivers’ privacy by regulating the use of automated license plate readers such as Flock cameras by government agencies in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 2771 would restrict government agency use of ALPRs only for these purposes: law enforcement, including criminal investigations; certain parking enforcement; and controlling access to secured areas, O’Mara, said.
Additionally, agencies would have to destroy data captured by ALPRs within 72 hours if not relevant to an investigation or enforcement matter, and the sale, trade, and sharing of captured data would be banned. Agencies also would have to have policies that include audits and employee screening and training.
“We have to take steps to ensure that our data is safe and secure as our digital world expands,” O’Mara said. “Although a useful tool for law enforcement, the use of these readers is currently unregulated, which presents significant privacy concerns for motorists. Pennsylvania’s motorists deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their private information is actually being kept private.”
Automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, rely on AI technology to record images of vehicles and license plates and share them in national databases. They have proliferated nationwide since the founding of the ALPR-maker Flock Safety in 2017.
Nearly 4,000 ALPRs are known to be active in Pennsylvania. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Pennsylvania has the ninth-most documented number of ALPRs in the nation.
O’Mara’s bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Lower Bucks based Reps Joe Hogan (R-Bucks) K.C Tomlinson (R-Bucks) Jim Prokopiak (D Bucks), and Perry Warren (D Bucks) voted in favor of the bill.
O’Mara’s bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.